Taking the World by Storm: Navigating the Complex Terrain of Providing AI Training

Margie Sheppard, Katie Pierce Farrier

AI is taking the world by storm! Researchers, students, faculty, and the public are using it in all kinds of ways to up their game in research, data science and more. But for AI to work for all users, increasing productivity, helping them avoid risk and potential ramifications, institutions need to provide training and guidance on using AI tools. Such training often falls into the laps of librarians or those who support research, necessitating the need for them to understand how and when AI is used, responsible use of AI, and potential risks. But where to start? What topics are popular? Seeing a need for training the trainer opportunities, the Network of the National Library of Medicine Region 3 stepped in and offered webinars focusing on training related to data science and AI uses. The webinars included everything from a general overview, to ethics, to AI literacy skills. This presentation will explore five recent webinars on AI, how the topics overlapped, niche areas of focus, and feedback from each class. Participants will gain insight into what made these training courses successful and how to select AI topics of interest to their users.